London Aug. 27 —Five million people in England have blood sugar levels indicating a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report published by Public Health England (PHE), executive agency of the Department of Health in the UK.

The report estimates the number of people over 16 in England have blood sugar levels in a range indicating a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, otherwise known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia.

The new estimate further underlines the need to act on Type 2 diabetes, especially as it already results in 22,000 early deaths and costs the NHS £8.8billion every year.

An evidence review also published yesterday by PHE shows programmes can be successful in preventing 26% of people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes from going on to develop the condition. People supported by diabetes prevention programmes lose on average 1.57kg more weight than those not on a programme aiming to significantly reduce diabetes risk.

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of PHE, said: "We know how to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: lose weight, exercise and eat healthily, but it’s hard to do it alone. PHE’s evidence review shows that supporting people along the way will help them protect their health and that’s what our prevention programme will do."